Sudden fouling of well water

[shadowmnt]

Hi, hope someone has some ideas...Located on the Cumblerland Plateau in east middle Tennessee on limestone bedrock...Tons of water in our area, good wells.
Drilled 9-2014...for my new house.. Good driller with good rep, this is our sixth well drilled in 25 years and 5 properties..140' with 42' steel casing. Great well, clean, clear, estimate after settling about 10gpm..Two years of perfect service. I am alone here, water some stock, water the plants, etc. Never a problem with quantity or quality even when I leave the hose on by accident for 15 hours.
We have been in a moderate to severe drought since May with an inch here and there to keep grass green. Trees are stressed..My ground varies from good mountain dirt to chert with red clay in spots. Driller says he hit rock at about 35'....I am a third of the way up the mountain with the valley below me, about 75' higher than the valley..I have a moderate slope on my property from the mountain behind me through where the well is drilled.
Last weekend we had an inch of gentle rain. Within an hour my water was fouled, cloudy, with a slight tinge of yellow, like really weak tea. I was shocked. Quantity was not affected despite running water for almost an hour. I kept a glass on the counter overnight. The toilet in the morning had a slight sediment ring. Nothing settled out in the glass. By afternoon the water had cleared. Ok for a day. Rained again slightly two days later, immediately had the same thing happen. Less 'color' but still cloudy...Drew a glass and left it overnight. 12 hours later there was red sediment in the bottom of the glass, and the water still was not 'clear' despite the settling out of the debri...Water cleared a bit after awhile but still cloudy with no color...Next day same thing, cloudy..Ran about 60 gallons to a stock tank on day three...water got color after than, quantity and pressure stayed excellent. Color dissipated after several hours to almost imperceptible yet still cloudy...Well guy is stumped. Most water in this area comes from underground streams running through the limestone karst. Below me is a nursery with four wells for irrigation. He's been watering ALOT. but has before this summer as well...No clue as to whether we are on the same water source considering I am above him and the last residence before the mountain top. No blasting, no wells behind me has occurred....any ideas would be appreciated..He's bringing a camera on Monday to try and find something...

 

[Valveman]

Usually if this happens shortly after a rain, the concrete or Bentonite seal between the casing and the earth is not good. But there could also be a crack in the earth that lets water from the surface go under the concrete seal, even from a long ways off. The camera is a good idea. But you may have to run water around the well trying to simulate a rain, or actually wait for a rain to use the camera. If the camera can find where the rain water is entering the well, then you can start figuring out how to seal it off.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[shadowmnt]

sounds logical...and I believe I found the source of the contamination today..When building we had a huge hole dug for burning scrap, it's about 50' uphill of the well. Was just covered up a little over a year ago..Last night when using the hose at the barn a few particles went into a very clean bucket I was using. I dug one out, it was charcoal....pretty good evidence of where this debri is coming from now. That's a start...well guy is due here on Monday....he recommends increasing the length of casing but that would require us to remove the well house roof. I am going to suggest what you did first...because otherwise how would this debri get past the casing?

 

[Reach4]

pretty good evidence of where this debri is coming from now. That's a start...well guy is due here on Monday....he recommends increasing the length of casing but that would require us to remove the well house roof.

That would seem to imply that your casing does not already extend above ground. If your casing does not extend above ground level, you want to get that done. Valveman was suspecting that the debris was going under/around the casing. But if dirty water can come in over the top of the casing, that could explain the contamination. Don't be surprised if an underground well seal leaks.

 

[shadowmnt]

My casing comes above the ground with that four bolt cap on it..no water runs through the concrete block well house. Doesn't the pitless adapter penetrate the casing somewhere underground? And I have no idea how well the concrete or bentonite seal was done of course..the amount of rain has been pitiful so it's mystery unless this has been developing over time and just happened to break through this week, the rain being a coincidence...

 

[Craigpump]

That would seem to imply that your casing does not already extend above ground. If your casing does not extend above ground level, you want to get that done. Valveman was suspecting that the debris was going under/around the casing. But if dirty water can come in over the top of the casing, that could explain the contamination. Don't be surprised if an underground well seal leaks.

The well was drilled in 2014, although not a federal law, most states mandate pitless well completions.

I'm thinking that you have a surface connection through a sinkhole. A camera won't confirm that, but it may help to show where sediment is entering the well. If you can see where dirty water/sediment is entering, a Jaswell seal on 4" PVC can be installed and sealed with Bentonite.

I'd have a bacteria analysis done to be sure the water is potable. I would never recommend a mail order lab, instead find a local state certified lab for the most accurate results.

One of the best well drillers I know is in Lascassas, if you'd like his name send me a private message

 

[Boycedrilling]

I agree with craigpump. When you said limestone, I think Karst Formation. your source of sediment could be a distance away from your well, via a surface connection to your aquifer, like a sink hole.

You definitely want a Coliform bacteria test run by an accredited lab. The approved labs I use require a refrigerated sample less than 24 hrs old. It is then cultured 24 hrs at a specified temperature. The results are then determined. That means that I can only take samples from Sunday morning until noon on Thursdays.

 

[shadowmnt]

thank you so much. It seems quite plausible especially since this pit/debri hole is just under fifty feet

 

[shadowmnt]

thank you so much. It seems quite plausible especially since this pit/debri hole is just under fifty feet

from the well....I will get it tested, I believe my well man will do that for me...

 

[shadowmnt]

update...it gets weirder and weirder.....Sunday, Sept 18, I ran the all my sprinklers for two hours in the morning. Plus it rained halfway through that. Within 90 mn my water went back to normal, crystal clear...Has stayed that way through Sunday, Monday, and this morning UNTIL 8 am....slightly cloudy with no discernable color....so apparently it is NOT the rain that is causing the fouling since we got well over an inch and it had no effect on the water quality, while in the past the rain amounts were much less, so coincidence I believe...Thoughts???
What about a cave in at the bottom of my well? With running the water full bored for two hours perhaps that cleaned out the well for a time? No debris, just slightly cloudy. I am so stumped and so is my well guy. A friend who's had wells for decades suggested pulling the pump up some from it's position 10' above the well bottom...